As the ICAO Year of Security Culture (YOSC) 2021 draws to a close, the international civil aviation community can be proud of its efforts to raise security awareness and to promote a strong and effective security culture in aviation operations across the world. This is essential as we seek to increase security compliance at our airports and to deter, detect and prevent acts of unlawful interference.
For our part, ICAO has developed various security culture tools and resources for use by aviation entities during the YOSC and beyond. Indeed, the YOSC should be viewed as a transitional year towards a permanent focus on security culture by all in aviation.
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ICAO’s Security Culture website
The ICAO Security Culture website will be maintained as a permanent resource. The website includes security culture best practices from ICAO, States, industry, and other organizations. There is guidance material, videos, leaflets, toolkits, training material, quizzes, checklists, frequently asked questions, and articles offering tips and best practices on security culture. The website also contains a set of self-assessment questions to help organizations measure and improve their security culture.
Training and Assistance
All of ICAO’s aviation security training and assistance packages now embed security culture best practices within the course content and promote a positive security culture. Of note is the ICAO Security Culture Workshop that was delivered in 2021 on 10 occasions to 131 students from 29 States. The workshop is based on existing ICAO tools and resources in establishing and maintaining good security behaviours. This includes the ICAO Security Culture Toolkit and the ICAO Security Culture Campaign ‘Starter Pack’ – both available to download, free of charge, from the ICAO Security Culture website in all ICAO languages.
Additionally ICAO, in partnership with UK CAA International (CAAi), launched the Introduction to Security Culture course in 2021. The course helps regulated entities and aviation authorities understand the concept and benefits of an effective security culture, including the best practices for embedding a positive security culture in an organization.
ICAO Security Culture Webinar
A virtual ICAO Security Culture Webinar will be held in English on 16 February 2022. The Webinar will highlight global security culture achievements in 2021, with speakers sharing their YOSC experiences and reflecting on milestones achieved. The Webinar will also highlight ICAO security culture tools, resources and guidance to support a focus on security culture by all in aviation in the future. To register for the Webinar please visit the website here.
Winners of the ICAO & ACI World YOSC Video Challenge will also be announced during the ICAO Security Culture Webinar, and prizes will be awarded. For those wishing to see all the excellent security culture videos received, they can be found on the ICAO Security Culture website.
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Regional Initiatives
The ICAO Regional Offices have also played a central role in promoting the YOSC and in sharing security culture tools and resources throughout 2021 through regional meetings, steering committees, expert groups, seminars, workshops and webinars. The ICAO Security Culture website contains information on the various regional activities and initiatives with a YOSC Summary Document available to download.
Opportunities
As we move into 2022, there is an opportunity to capitalize on the achievements of the YOSC. There is the opportunity to use ICAO tools and resources and to take further practical actions to raise security awareness in aviation operations; to educate more aviation stakeholders and the traveling public on the benefits of a strong and effective security culture; and to promote good security behaviours.
All of us involved in international civil aviation have the opportunity to be Security Culture Ambassadors, integrating a security culture philosophy into everything we do. Thank you for all your support and hard work in 2021 and in making the YOSC such a success.
About the author
Sylvain Lefoyer has been the Deputy Director of the Aviation Security and Facilitation Branch in the Air Transport Bureau of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) since 1 March 2017. He leads teams responsible for developing Aviation Security and Facilitation policy, Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs), conducting audits of Member States’ aviation security activities, assisting States that are unable to address deficiencies highlighted by those audits, and implementing the Traveler Identification Programme (ICAO TRIP) Strategy.
Mr Lefoyer has extensive experience at the senior executive level in policy and regulations development, strategy, oversight, critical incident management and organization development in aviation security and facilitation.
